The present invention relates to bronchoscopy and, in particular, it concerns a system of accessories for use when performing surgical procedures using a bronchoscope.
The most common interventional procedure in the field of Pulmonary Medicine (i.e., medicine pertaining to the respiratory system) is bronchoscopy, in which a bronchoscope is inserted into the airways through the patient's nose or mouth. The instrument consists of a long, thin, flexible tube that typically contains three elements, an illumination arrangement for illuminating the region distal to the bronchoscope's tip via an optical fiber connected to an external light source, an imaging arrangement for delivering back a video image from the bronchoscope's distal tip, and a ‘working channel’ through which instruments of both diagnostic (e.g., biopsy tools) and therapeutic (e.g., laser, cryo or RF tissue elimination probes) nature are inserted. The distal tip of the bronchoscope is steerable; rotating a lever placed at the handle of the bronchoscope actuates the steering mechanism by deflection the tip in two opposite directions.
Bronchoscopies are applied routinely to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as Lung Cancer, Airway Stenosis, and Emphysema. They are performed by an expert pulmonologist, also known as a bronchoscopist.
Bronchoscopies are performed by a staff of at least two persons, the bronchoscopist and at least one assistant, usually a nurse. During a typical procedure, the bronchoscopist holds the bronchoscope handle with one hand and the bronchoscope tube with the other hand. He or she manipulates the distal tip of the bronchoscope inside the lung by rotating the deflection lever and by pushing and pulling the tube. Once the tip is brought to the target, a medical diagnosis is achieved and/or treatment is applied by insertion of a bronchoscopic tool into the working channel and out through the distal tip of the bronchoscope tube and performing the diagnosis or treatment.
During insertion and operation the bronchoscopic tool, the distal tip of the bronchoscope should be held steady at the target. Performing all of these tasks concurrently often requires three or four hands, two for securing the bronchoscope in place, and one to two more hands for inserting and actuating the bronchoscopic tool. The complexity of such multi-person operation, requiring delicate coordination between the physician and the assistant, often detracts from the resulting precision of the medical procedure, and the need for additional helping hands often increases its cost.
Of particular relevance to the present invention is a device and method described in PCT patent application publication no. WO 03/086498 entitled “Endoscope Structure and Techniques for Navigation in Brunched Structure” to Gilboa, which is hereby incorporated fully by reference. This patent application describes a method and apparatus in which a locatable guide (“LG”), enveloped by a sheath, is used to navigate a bronchoscopic tool to a location within the lung. The guide/sheath combination is inserted into the lung via the working channel of a bronchoscope. Once the tip of the guide is located at its target, a lock, which is placed at the orifice (“connection port”) of the bronchoscope's working channel, is operated to prevent the sheath from sliding in or out of the bronchoscope. The guide is then withdrawn from the sheath, leaving the sheath in place to guide a tool to the required target location.
On the other hand, when the same bronchoscope is used in its primary function for investigation of the bronchi, the same working channel is used to clean disturbing mucus from the airways, using a vacuum pump connected to special connector separate from the orifice of the working channel. For the suction to work properly, the orifice of the working channel should be sealed during application of the suction.
It follows that, during the procedure, the physician typically needs to interchange two different devices to the connection port of the bronchoscope working channel, a seal and a lock, and these must be interchanged depending upon which function the bronchoscope is currently performing.
During the switch between locatable guide and other tools, it is necessary to insert the guide or tool into the free proximal end of the sheath. This step has been found to be somewhat “fiddly” and difficult to achieve quickly due to the flexibility and consequent mechanical instability of the end of the sheath. The problem can be addressed easily by holding the end of the sheath in one hand and the tool in another, but this would again require additional free hands during performance of the procedure.
In order to facilitate operation of a system such as described in the aforementioned application by a single practitioner, it would be preferable to allow the practitioner to temporarily release his or her grip on a secondary tool or device used via the working channel of the bronchoscope. At the same time, it is preferable that the device remains immediately accessible and operable, and does not hang loosely.
There is therefore a need for accessories for use with a bronchoscope which would facilitate operation of a bronchoscope and associated tools by a single practitioner. It would also be advantageous to provide an adapter for the connection port of the working channel of a bronchoscope which would perform both the sealing and tool-locking functions without requiring replacement of an attachment during the procedure. It would further be advantageous to provide an arrangement according to the teachings of the aforementioned PCT patent publication which would facilitate insertion of tools into the guide sheath.